Night on Neighborhood Street

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Paperback - Warm shades of blues, greens, and lavenders as well as the characters' gently, glowing shades of browns perfectly capture Night on Neighborhood Street . Each of Greenfield's poems deals with everyday concerns and delights of African-American city children: a lonely boy gazes at the moon, waiting for his ``best, best friend'' to come home; a newborn baby swaddled in pink cries because she's ``too tiny a girl/ for this big new world.'' Nerissa tries to cheer her unemployed father and ill mother ``by telling them the best old/ bedtime jokes.'' The most powerful poem is ``The Seller,'' who ``comes around/ carrying in his many pockets/packages of death.'' The final poem depicts a young mother playing a trumpet on a porch late at night. She ``blows lullaby sounds/ into the silence/ the children hear and smile/ their sleep deepens/ and they are at peace/ with the night.'' A warm, triumphant book that will be wonderful to share with a group or in a more cozy situation.